Rojochopo

This puzzle was a joy to solve. The frisson as we crossed each line and saw the perfectly normal fill even without the hidden letters … magnificent! Goodness knows there have been crosswords that have infuriated us in the past — usually when the grid ends up looking like gibberish or the mental gymnastics are out of proportion to the payoff (we’re looking at you, art heist). This puzzle made up for so many past sins!